Minnesota linebacker Aaron Hill (57) celebrates his touchdown on an interception against Michigan State, with teammates Keanon Cooper (4) and Ben Perry (93) during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 24, 2012, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Paul Battaglia)

Minnesota quarterback Philip Nelson is chased by Michigan State's Marcus Rush in the first half as the University of Minnesota played Michigan State in Minneapolis on November 24, 2012. (Pioneer Press: Scott Takushi)

It didn’t work. In fact, it worked as poorly as any plan a Big Ten offense had concocted in five years.

The Gophers’ 96 yards of total offense was the lowest total by a Big Ten team since Michigan gained 91 against Ohio State on Nov. 17, 2007. Nelson, who exclusively passed, completed 10 of 23 passes for 61 yards and threw three interceptions. Gray, who almost exclusively ran, rushed five times for 4 yards.

The 96 yards also represented Minnesota’s lowest offensive output since 1974, when it had 64 in a 54-0 loss at Neb–raska.

“We’ve got injuries up front, and we’ve got our problems, and, hey, we’re trying to move the football there a little bit,” said defensive coordinator Tracy Claeys, who acted as the team’s head coach after Jerry Kill suffered a seizure at halftime. “We felt like keeping them off balance with who would be at quarterback, and putting (Gray) in there, would give us a way to help us.”

The looks might have been different, but the message was simple. Gray said it was clear the Spartans knew what to expect when he was in there.

“Without a doubt,” he said. “They were sending in blitzes. They made an adjustment at halftime, and they figured out once I got in there at quarterback that they were going to load up the box.”

Nelson came out throwing, competing his first three passes before being intercepted by Johnny Adams at Minnesota’s 45-yard line. That set up the game’s first score, a 48-yard field goal by Dan Conroy.

“We knew they had a great D line, and that they’d be able to push and collapse the pocket,” Nelson said. “That’s where, as a quarterback, you’ve got to be able to make plays on the run and figure things out.”

Run-down feeling

Gophers tailbacks Marion Barber and Laurence Maroney punished Big Ten defenses before moving on to the NFL, so the locals are accustomed to seeing big-time runners. Still, they had to be impressed by Michigan State’s Le’Veon Bell.

Bell, a 6-foot-2, 237-pound tailback, ran over, around and through Minnesota for 266 yards on 35 carries, his third 200-yard game of the season.

“They challenged us to stop him, and as a defense we really couldn’t get that done,” defensive lineman D.L. Wilhite said.

Bell had five runs of 10 or more yards, including a 40-yard gain in the first quarter during which he carried 6-foot, 205-pound safety Derek Wells for a good 10 yards. In the second quarter, he tried to leap over cornerback Michael Carter, who upended the big back after a 7-yard gain.

“Watching film on him, he has a great vertical. I had seen him leap over three or four other people on film,” Carter said. “So I baited him up. I didn’t know he was going to leap then, but I just kept my eyes open and knew I was going to go low and then high.”

Bell’s 1,648 yards on 350 carries this season are the second-most in Michigan State history to Lorenzo White’s 2,066 in 1985.

“He played patient, played behind his blockers,” Wilhite said. “From there, it’s just playing ball. Everybody’s competing. You’ve got to just do your job.”

Hello, Houston?

The Gophers’ loss likely dropped them a peg in the Big Ten bowl pecking order, despite finishing tied with Michigan State and Purdue with 6-6 records. The Spartans’ head-to-head victory and superior conference record — 3-5 to the Gophers’ 2-6 — is expected to put them in the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl on Dec. 29 in Tempe, Ariz.

The Gophers appear headed for the Meineke Car Care Bowl on Dec. 28 in Houston, with Purdue headed for the Heart of Dallas Bowl on Jan. 1. Regardless, it will be Minnesota’s first bowl appearance since 2009, when it lost to Iowa State 14-13 in the Insight Bowl in Tempe.

But where the Gophers play is less important than the extra practice they’ll get.

“We want to be able to get in and get 15 practices, because we need that right now,” Nelson said. “This is basically spring ball to us, and the 15 practices, we can benefit from that right now and the future.”

Highlight reel

The Gophers’ lone touchdown came on an interception by linebacker Aaron Hill, who returned it 33 yards for a 7-3 first-quarter lead.

“On defense everybody has a job, and Coach Claeys just called the right play at the right time,” Hill said of his second career interception. “It just so happened I was there and did my job.”

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